A very loud “thud” disrupted our family Bible time last night. We each looked in various rooms for something that fell, but never did figure it out. We finished our Bible reading, discussion, and prayer time and then put the kids to bed. They were able to go to sleep knowing they were safe, despite not understanding the reason for the loud noise.
Similarly, reading Revelation can be puzzling. However, we
can focus on what we do know for sure – God is in control! His continued plan
of redemption and justice unfolds as the worthy Lamb of God opens the 7 seals
of the scroll.
So what’s in the scroll and what are the seven seals?
Revelation chapter 6 begins to tell us.
Revelation 6:1-2 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven
seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice
like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and there
before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a
crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
Each seal seems to reveal preliminary events leading up
to the culmination of God’s plan for redemption and justice. Seven is a number
of completeness, so each of these 7 seals reveals a layer of God’s judgment on
the earth. One view is that each of these layers is part of the tribulation.
Another view is that these layers cover the entire time between Jesus’s 1st
and 2nd coming. Either way, what we do know is that God is Sovereign
and in control of each layer.
Well, what about the rider on the white horse? White
often signifies holiness, perfection and purity. God the Father and Jesus the
Son are often described as clothed in white. However, this rider on a white
horse is “bent” on conquest. He’s not the already Victorious One. He isn’t bent
on peace or redemption or justice. He appears like Christ, but deceives. The
rider could be the Antichrist or one of the false prophets or a kingdom. His
power is given to him and is limited. He can’t do anything outside God’s rule
and authority.
Jesus is worthy to open this 1st seal and He is
in control of what comes from it!
How will you and I trust Jesus’s control in our lives
today, even when we don’t understand confusing
things that happen around us?
